A summary and criticism of Skinner's early theory of learning.

Presents the first of a series of articles designed to show that Skinner has produced 3 different theories of learning. The present article is a critical review of Skinner's theoretical work up to and including the publication of The Behavior of Organisms (1938)—the early theory. The main conclusion is that Skinner had produced a disguised version of the philosophical doctrine of positivism. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)